2.5 year old waking at 2am for the day

[Stayingupallnight]

I'm so tired.

DS is 2, will be 3 in June. He is great at going to sleep in his bed at around 7/7.30. He sleeps until around 2am then I just cannot get him back asleep!! I lie on a little bed next to his, he generally stays lying down, is fairly quiet, and plays with his comforter toy. But he won't sleep. Sometimes he drops back off around 5am for an hour or 2, but sometimes nothing and we just get up about 6am. He has many days he doenst nap, others he has an hour, it makes absolutely no difference to what happens at night time.

I'm so exhausted. I cant keep starting my day at 2am! Please help!

Oh no!! Have you tried going in before he wakes? Ours was in a normal single bed at that age with a toddler duvet. If we knew something might make a lot of noise (storm/one of us leaving the house v early), we’d go in and get in bed with DC and it mostly worked!

Also, have you potty trained? Maybe his bladder/nappy is full and that’s waking him? Some people have a lot of success with ‘dream wees’ (holding them over a potty when they’re half asleep)… though I’ve never tried!

I hope it’s a short phase!! X

I've not tried that, but I will thank you, he is getting a single bed on Friday so there will be room for me to lie in it with him. (He's in his cot with no sides now)

He is potty trained in the day and very often is dry all through the night. He will sometimes get up to wee around 3/4am.

I know it's likely a phase but not sure I'm going to survive it!!

Arrr the split night - it's a killer! Later bedtimes help in my experience. But generally seems to be a developmental stage some go through. Qualification 9 children

Defo a phase, something needs tweaking in their daytime sleep / sleep routine to stop the split nights. Are they still having a nap? Is it very long? Might need to cal it to an hour or 45mins if already an hour.

I am somewhat reassured that if its some sort of developmental phase, at least it will end sometime, and there's not something terribly wrong with him!

We cut out naps for a whole week and it made no difference. I am inclined to try a later bedtime, although may be tricky as his 7 year old brother shares his room and he really needs a lot of sleep!